CAP 9 - Topic Leader Poll

[DougJustDoug**]

Only CAP 9 Policy Review Committee members can vote in this thread. Posts by anyone else will be deleted. Policy Review Committee members are listed here.

The Topic Leader is the most important leadership position in the project during the creation process. So, it is important that we pick someone that will do a good job. For this reason, we do not choose a TL by popular community vote. Instead we choose the TL by a committee of trusted expert project members.

Here is the list of self-nominated candidates (in the order they submitted their candidacy):

Deck Knight
Plus

The candidacy announcements and support posts from members of the community are in this thread: http://www.smogon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61311
Please review all the information in that thread in order to inform your decision.

Here's how to vote:

• Only current Policy Review Committee members are eligible to vote. Policy Committee members are listed here.
  
  
• Please post both candidate names ranked in order of preference. Also, please include a brief summary of your reasons for the ranking on your ballot. Do not adjust your rankings to attempt to "game the poll results". As expert project members, I hope we can expect everyone to vote fairly, and with integrity.
  
  
• If you do not complete a full ranked ballot with reasoning, as prescribed here, your ballot will be deleted. So, please take the time to evaluate all the candidates and compose a proper ranked ballot.
  
  
• I will only vote in the case of a tie. If my vote is needed, I will compose a ballot and cast it at the conclusion of this poll.
  
  
• Please post your ballots as soon as possible. This poll should close 24 hours from now. If any committee member needs more time to compose a ballot, please PM me and ask for an extension.

[zarator]

Well, this is a quality slate, of course, so it is somehow hard to choose, but ultimately I made my choice.

1. Plus: The main reason he gained my vote (at least over DK) was his battle style and knowledge, which I like a lot and which I hope will influence CAP9 for the better.

2. Deck Knight: I outlined above the reason why I chose Plus over him, but I'd like to underline that both are very smart users, and that - whoever wins this poll - both will eventually deserve a chance to be TL in the future. I always loved DK in particular for his amazing stat spreads, so don't think I don't like you^^

Whoever wins, we are gonna get a very smart TL, and above all a ballsy TL. I have no doubt both the 2 have the charism and the self-confidence needed to pull off this difficult relaunch. Go for it guys!

[Umbreon Dan]

agreeing with zarator that both candidates have large balls

1. Plus - the server mod wins it for me. he's a ferocious battler (moreso than deck, who nonetheless is not to be underestimated) and is really not afraid to argue his point, as I know full well #>_>. people say that me and this user bicker with each other a lot, but I like that plus has strong views. above all, he is willing to try new things.

2. Deck Knight - the only user to ever argue against the entirety of congregation. i'm not letting his past there influence me either way, and the deck that I've come to know is a great user and a cool friend. totally deserves his drivers and a shot at TL. next time i'll vote for you, man.

edit: after viewing the debate (live! question 3 was all me) i'm sticking with plus. his answer to the first topic is exactly what i wanted to hear.

that said, both candidates would obviously make good politicians.

[Infiltrator]

Plus
Deck Knight

1. Plus: To me personally, I feel that Plus has shown a great amount of dedication to the CAP Project. He also has a lot of experience and great Knowledge of the CAP Project and his proof is shown by being part of the Moderation Team on the CAP Server. Plus is also a great CAP Battler/Playtester. He has playtested all(or Majority) of the Current CAPs, which means he has a clear understanding about every Created Pokemon in CAP to date.


2. Deck Knight: Not to take anything away from Deck Knight, but I think Plus has been more actively involved in CAP than Deck Knight. Though Deck Knight has named and given Stats to at least 2-3 CAPs and and has also been with the CAP since the beginning I feel that Plus is better suited for the job.

Whoever prevails over the other I wish you good luck.

[Vader*]

ugh, rushed because I literally have no time to do this today, but here it goes...

Plus: Plus is one of my best friends on the server and has shown, through moderation on the server, that he is capable of maintaining control of a situation and is a good leader in general.

Deck Knight: Deck Knight comes in at a very, very close second. While Deck Knight has shown an excellent ability to persuade CaP voters, he has not properly demonstrated his ability to settle disputes, an integral part of being TL. I do think that he is qualified for the job, just not as much as Plus.

[Fuzznip]

Two great users, but I made my decision.

1) Deck Knight - I feel that it's time for Deck Knight to step up in the CAP project, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to do so. He's been consistent in participating in all of the CAP projects (to my knowledge), and has a lot of experience with CAP. Not to mention that many of his stat spreads/movepools/naming etc. having been chosen by the community. I think Deck Knight deserves a shot at becoming the TL for CAP 9, because I'm sure he will do a fantastic job.

2) Plus - Plus is obviously not to be looked away from. He's probably the most powerful moderator in CAP, both in battle and in discussions. He has a high understanding of how the CAP metagame works and has great knowledge about each and every CAP we've made so far.

The only reason I chose Deck instead of Plus is because that many people are forgetting all of Deck's massive contributions to CAP in general, so it's time for him to shine.

[Elevator Music]

Ohhh I would love to abstain since this is a very tough decision... but tough decisions should always be made.

Deck Knight- I feel like even though DK's contributions to the CAP project haven't been as publicized as Plus's, they are definitely there. He has been here for a long time, knows what he's doing, and definitely knows how to lead a project.

Plus- Obviously I love you too plus!!! This was a really tough vote because you have a lot of contributions under your belt and I like you both a lot as users...

Whoever loses more than likely has my vote next time <3

[hydrolphin]

1. Deck Knight - While this is incredibly close (the closest I've taken part in imo), I have to cast my vote for DK. He is a great leader, a great contributer, and also has experience in creating pokemon *cough* CAP8 *cough*.

2. Plus - Another great contributer to CAP, and whoever loses here is likely a lock to lead CAP10. Plus is a great battler as well, but I feel DK's contributions to the last two CAPs give him the slight edge.

[Matthew]

ok, now that I have been asked to choose between plus of deck knight I have decided on Deck Knight. Deck has a very interesting way of thinking, which in my opinion, will go along hand and hand with the new role that the topic leader now has to be. Plus would also make a great leader, don't get me wrong, but Deck can impose what he thinks is best rather well, once again going with the "you decide, then I decide" kind of aspect the TL will do.

[tennisace]

This is the edited log of a "debate" between the two candidates. I probably should have thought of this earlier, but whatever. If you need to change your vote, delete your old post and post again in this thread.

Question 1: How will you carry out the new role of TL?

Deck:
Essentially what I want to do is start with extra attention to the concept. I fully intend to analyze each concept and then give a paragraph on why I do or do not think that is a viable concept for a project.

The problem we had in the last CAP is the concept was entirely directionless. We go through a smattering abilities with only a vague idea of why they were "approved" or "unapproved."

This dissertation would help focus the project and open the floor to ideas to improve the concepts that are accepted.

With nothing concrete to work with at this moment, it is difficult to expand upon, but lets just use our titular "Kingdra in the Snow."

For me this is difficult because Hail and Rain are entirely different beasts. The speed boost Rain confers is what makes Kingrda dangerous.

So I'd need more specification as to what "Kingdra in the snow" would mean outside of "pokemon with a powerful Blizzard"

This leaves room for custom abilities, but that is a serious, serious poll jump.

Given a choice of more viable concepts to choose from, Kingdra in the Snow would be in the bottom of acceptable entries.

Plus:
What I would like to do for TL is to start off with a concept thread that will catch the reader's eye as to what exactly I want as a concept. I'm basically just looking for something that we can actually learn from, rather than the usual "mixed sweeper" or "great tank of china". The concept thread is definitely the place where all the cap projects turn sour, and it sucks since it's the beginning of the project.

Some problems that rose from the past caps is that people were throwing shit at a blank piece of paper, really. They dont even give a fuck about what they want to learn, because its not in their mindset, so it makes sense that our concept threads are pretty directionless.

Deck:
Well they've been directionless largely because we've let them become largely open slates. Fifty-Two concepts? Cyberzero is my friend and all, but really? Fifty-two? You can't have a coherent discussion of Fifty-two subject matters...

Plus:
With the new policy on TLs it's definitely going to be better

Deck:
I agree, but it still requires a discretion which I'm sure both of us will excercise.

Plus:
That's a given.

Question 2: With the new process being applied to CAP 9, how much, and exactly what kind of influence do you see yourself exerting over the project?


Plus:
I'm planning to throw most of the issues I feel about the metagame into each topic, basically giving everybody my overview on the matter. I'd let people interpret it and distort it to their liking, as long as it is fresh, creative, and something we would be willing to test.

So you could say that I'm willing to give direction, however that does not mean i will not watch over the rest of the discussion. There are lots of idiots on cap and it's inevitable. tennisace, darkie, and Gen Empoleon (names edited), just to name a few.

So I'd throw my opinion whenever the discussion gets terribly out of hand or a misconception happens, (which happens very frequently)

And again, I think my views of the metagame are sufficient enough to warrant a good discussion.


Deck:
I fully endorse Doug's conception of the Topic Leader as a director. I want to get feedback and suggestions from everyone during the CAP process, new users and old alike. There will always be a few repeat offenders who offer little substance. However, I ultimately believe that a laser-like, continuous focus on fulfilling the concept and shaping it to perfection is required.

For this reason I intend to stick my considerable heft behind each element of the process. I want to inspire people to argue passionately for their choices and to fully support the reasoning behind them. The topic leader should inspire leadership in others, and the best way to lead is by example.

It's pretty hard for me to cool my jets, but I do exercise leniency and respect the opinions of better battlers or people with specific insight. I'm essentially looking to start as a central figure and then slowly fade into the background as the project continues.

That is what I think a good director does, inspire others to bring their own intelligence and passion to the project, making sure the end product stays razor-sharp in the process.

From the outset I intend to give full disclosure on every step along the way, and I expect agreement or disagreement backed by reasoning. The final slate is my decision, the voters choose among that set of elite options.

So in summary I would take a very direct, hands-on approach.

Plus:
Discussion is primarily based off of interest, which again ties to the beginning stages of a CAP. If it's interesting, it will usually generate discussion, both intelligent and non intelligent. The role of a TL should obviously be to weed out the non intelligent discussion and try to shape it into a more meaningful discussion. If encouraging discussion is needed, I would lead by enforcing the ideas of the current cap (the concept) .

Question 3: Where do you stand on stat spread submissions and movepool submissions; ie how many would you allow, and what would be the necessary criteria.

Plus:
I'd allow what is needed. Different concepts take different directions, different directions take different paths to a pokemon. I currently don't have a necessary criteria, because there isnt really much to base the criteria off of. As for how many I'd allow, I'd say roughly 5. The past caps had terribly similar stat spread for each. The thread quickly became a giant tl;dr.

And, it's not like each spread has a totally different direction. Picking 5 of the best would unclutter the thread, hopefully promote discussion, and it's the TL's job to enforce such.

Deck:
I'd select whoever contributed the most over the course of the project at that point, up to a limit of 6 or 7. As far as criteria, depending on the concept I would do as much as possible to curtail superfluous moves. We have scads of support moves going unused because we've dumped every move ever made onto the pokemon, and sometimes diluted its ability to do one thing coherently.

I'd also look for the most diverse stat spreads, if not specifically request someone's vision. I intend to be more strong-armed towards extemes given the absurd number of middle-of-the road Bulky Offensive caps.

Question 4: If, at any point, a loss of direction or discussion occurs, how do you plan on handling these situations

Plus:
A loss of direction could mean misinterpreting a concept, in which I would clarify and basically steer into the right direction. Should things get into a heated, off topic argument which has no merit to the overall project, I would simply cut it short and tell them to discuss what obviously needs to be discussed. As for discussion, I would ask some educated posters of cap who have overall interesting opinions on a certain subject to step up and present

I will not shoot down anyone for voicing their opinion, but I will shoot people down if what they are saying is totally irrelevant or should not be factored into the current cap, ex. flavor competitive arguments.

Deck:
Close monitoring would avoid a lot of that, and when I start seeing things go downhill I tend to strike like lightning already whenever there is something in dispute. It is usually easy to tell when something has gone on a tangent, and the best thing to do in that case is confront it directly, explain why it is not important, and immediately refocus attention to critical issues.

[tennisace]

As a result of the debate, I'm going to change my vote.

I'm voting for Plus. I think Deck's a great guy and all, however I really didn't like his answer to question #3. The amount you contributed in the past should hold no bearing on whether you get selected to submit a spread. I understand that the TL should pick people to create spreads, but the point of that is so the TL can pick the few he/she likes from the discussion thread. I love you both guys, so don't take this the wrong way. I said I would vote for whoever impressed me more in the debate though, since this is now an objective choice based on your views.

[billymills]

1. Plus

2. Deck Knight

Quite simply, they're both way overqualified for the job. Both routinely submit in nearly every category, battle, are active on the server, IRC, and the forum. Both would make great leaders (Deck would make a GREAT authoritarian), the difference lies with one thing: I will never agree with a Deck Knight submission.

I urge you all not to think I'm being biased in one way or another, but in my opinion, the better plus will make the better overall decisions. I routinely have problems with Deck's submissions, most notably in move pool (I dislike an all-inclusive approach). With the new changes to TL requirements, I prefer Plus's general opinions over Deck's. Even though he called me an idiot.

Also it takes balls to swear in an interview.

[cyberzero]

This is a VERY tough decision, undoubtedly, but even moreso for me because Deck and Plus are probably among (at least) my top 10 best friends on Smogon/Shoddy, maybe even top 5. My initial decision was to choose Plus over Deck Knight, but after reading the debate, I have changed my decision.

1. Deck Knight

Deck is an influential user not only in CAP, but in Smogon as well. He is a very close friend of mine, and a decent battler. There isn't much to say that hasn't been said, but I was swayed when I saw the process he wanted to use to decide the concept. I feel that a thorough examination of each concept will ultimately lead to a more guided CAP project.

2. Plus
I originally wanted to vote for Plus because of his more expansive knowledge of the competitive metagame. It's not that I don't like his idea, it's just that I feel that Deck's is more likely to work.

I feel that both are more than capable, but the thing is that we can get the most out of Deck as the leader in this new process because of who he is, personality-wise. I know both of them well enough to say that Plus is the type that will do well in both situations, setting a precedent and following or adjusting a precedent, while we can get the most out of Deck Knight if he is the one setting the precedent. Sure, we can wait until CAP10, but by then, Deck's calling card would be less valuable while Plus can function just as well. This is in no way meant to be offensive to either, but I feel that Deck being the groundbreaker for this new process would allow him to experiment freely as we know he will, while Plus would be able to adjust anything that went wrong and still be able to be a great Topic Leader next time around.

I'm sorry Plus, I hope you still love me D:

EDIT: Deck, I only allowed 22 concepts, not 52 -.-

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

Plus - Honestly, I don't really care who ends up winning, because both DK and Plus are more than good enough to be good leaders. But Plus really has a chance to shine as TL 'cause as he has battle experience under his belt, which is a real plus (literally, nothing fancy here) in terms of finding out what works and what doesn't, which is why I'm casting my vote for him. And he gave consistently good answers to Tennisace's interview, unlike DK, who gave an answer I didn't like in question #3.

Deck Knight - Again, I don't really care who ends up winning, so our knight in shining armour isn't too far behind. In fact the only thing I really didn't like about DK was his answer to question #3, which I mentioned above... and I overestimated his battling ability slightly 'cause I bet him during Revenankh playtesting... twice. But apart from that, he'll make a fine TL... if he wins.

Final Result

1. Plus
2. Deck Knight

[Magmortified]

Plus

Deck Knight

Plus and Deck are both amazing users, but I'm giving this to Plus. Probably one of the biggest things Plus has in his favor is being more "in-tune" with CAP's competitive side - he was Kitsunoh Playtesting Champ after all. As far as I could tell from the interview, Deck might be a more forceful TL, but I think they'd both be great at keeping people in line and CAP focused. In leading discussion, this is where Plus gets an advantage from being "in-tune" with CAP's competitive metagame.

Also, yeah, tennis hit the mark with Deck's response to question 3. I just don't feel comfortable with past submissions making the decision on who gets their movepool submission in.

[CyzirVisheen]

After giving it a bit of thought, my vote goes:
Plus
Deck Knight
Like everyone else, I think both would make fine TLs. But I agree with what tennis mentioned, past submissions should not affect your odds on getting onto the polls.

[Coronis]

1. Deck Knight- I think that Deck Knight really deserves this. He has made contributions on most, if not all CaP's. He has shown great knowledge of the CaP metagame, by producing some of the best movesets and stat submissions. He has also shown himself to be a great arguer, though not a great solver of arguments, but i say give him a chance.

2.Plus- I really think Plus is a great guy, and excellent battler:( but i think Deck deserves it more..

[darkie]

1. Deck Knight
2. Plus

Although it's been well-established that both are very qualified, I think I prefer Deck's straightforward state of mind. This is a close one, so I'm pulling for the winner to pick the other as an ATL!

[Bass]

1. Deck Knight
2. Plus

Plus, you are probably one of my best friends on this site and I think you have really proven yourself to be a worthy contributor in the past few months, but I think Deck Knight has a slight edge as far as someone who can really lead this project.

[DougJustDoug**]

In a razor-close poll, with only a single vote separating the two candidates....

Congratulations to Plus, the new Topic Leader for CAP 9!

Plus, please select an Assistant TL to serve as a backup in times where you need help keeping up the project pace. Make a post here regarding your ATL selection. After that, feel free to open the Concept Submission thread.

Good luck!

[Plus]

Haha wow, it's already been quite a ride. I'd like to thank everyone, even the people who voted for Deck Knight, for voting and supporting me. This CAP project in particular caught my eye, thanks to the new process and encouraged TL personality and attitude.

While many of you know me more as a battler and not the guy in arguments, I'll try my best to step up to the plate and prove CAP's worth. Deck Knight in particular, I would like to give a big shoutout to, as being one of the toughest competitors I've faced in discussions, and it's no surprise that he's one of the hardest working contributors of CAP to this day.

As for ATL, it's obvious that Deck Knight deserves it. We have different fortes, and this covers our bases better.

I hope we can make this CAP the best it can be!

[tennisace]

Grats to you both!

Here we gooooooooooooo